Former Australian tennis star Jelena Dokic has responded forcefully to online trolls criticizing her body at the Australian Open. In an Instagram post on Monday, Dokic, currently a commentator for CNN affiliate 9 at the tournament, condemned the “disgusting” body-shaming and fat-shaming comments she received in the past 24 hours.
“The most common comment being ‘what happened to her, she is so big’?” Dokic wrote. “I will tell you what happened, I am finding a way and surviving and fighting. And it doesn’t matter what I am doing and what happened because size shouldn’t matter.”
Dokic retired in 2014 after a career that included reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 1999 at just 16 years old. She reached the Wimbledon semifinals the following year and represented Australia at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her highest world ranking was No. 4, after making the French Open quarterfinals in 2002.
However, her success on the court came with serious personal challenges, as detailed in her 2018 autobiography, Unbreakable. In the book, Dokic recounts the physical, verbal, and mental abuse she suffered from her father and former coach, Damar Dokic.
Dokic severed ties with her father in 2002, leaving with only her racquet bag and a suitcase. When the book was released, her father did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, although he told Serbian daily Blic in 2009 that “there is no child that was not beaten by parents, same with Jelena.”
Despite the negativity, Dokic has vowed not to be silenced by bullies. In her Instagram post, she stated, “I am here, fighting for all those out there being abused, fat-shamed. I can’t change the world but I will continue speaking up, calling this behavior out, using my platform for something good and supporting other people out there and giving others a voice and trying to make others feel less alone and scared.”
Dokic has been open about her mental health struggles. Last June, she posted a video on Instagram revealing she had come close to taking her own life and credited professional help with saving her.